Payment Of Prov. G. Secretary.

PAYMENT OF PROV . G . SECRETARY .

THE following correspondence appeared in the " Liverpool Courier" last month , and although we regret with T . H . Hooper that the question should have been ventilated in the public press , we yet regard it as one on which expressions

of opinion are most desirable . We resent the imputation of " A Freemason , " when he suggests that the Masonic section of the press is not as impartial as the general body . Speaking for ourselves we cam . assure him that our columns are open to the free and fair discussion of any Masonic question , no matter who or what may be particularly dealt with .

FREEMASONRY . To the Editor of the LIVERPOOL COURIER . SIR , —In your report to-day of the Provincial Grand Lodge at Leigh it appears that much credit it taken for the increase of

members and Lodges in the Province , and an increased allowance is given to the Secretary , nominally to provide clerical assistance , which will now increase his stipend to ^ 460 a year , besides other allowances which he has from the P . G . Chapter and P . G . Mark Lodge .

Many Masons are probably unaware of the following facts , viz ., that the previous Secretary not only did the work of the P . G . Lodge gratuitously , but also paid his own expenses , except the last year or two of his Office , when the good Masons forced upon him , against his expressed wish , . £ 100 for his expenses ; that the increase of members does not add to the Secretary ' s work further

than it requires him to devote a little more time to it ; that in order to pay the present allowance charitable funds arc encroached upon ; and if this is not irregular now , which is probable , charitable moneys were for some years used for this purpose without authority ; that the Secretary ' s work is chiefly of a routine character , and a great part is practically useless , as it is simply a duplication of

the work done in the London Secretary ' s office , so far as regards each Province , and that all the necessary work need not take up more than 200 hours per annum at the outside ; that the Lodges have no voice in the nomination of members for Provincial Office , but names arc submitted by the Secretary ; and that many of the men joining Masonry and those put into Provincial Office are of a lower class than formerly .

These are matters that require consideration much more than the increase of members , if Freemasonry is to keep up a good reputation . Yours , & c , A FREEMASON . Liverpool , 13 th June 1901 .

To the Editor of the LIVERPOOL COURIER . SIR , —As a rule I do not notice letters written under a nom de plume , but the one appearing in your issue of to-day under the above heading justifies me in deviating from my usual custom . I am surprised at " Freemason entering into such details as he has done in the public press . I maintain that it is altogether opposed

to the spirit of true Masonry to have a discussion raised on subjects which are our own private affairs and not concerning the public in the slightest degree . Whatever the merits or demerits of the question at issue may be , I am strongly of opinion the Craft generally will agree with me that our own papers , known to all of us , are the channels through which such grievances should be ventilated , and not the one " Freemason '' has chosen . Yours , iS : c .,

T . H . HOOPER . Morecambe , 15 th June 1901 . To the Editor of the LIVERPOOL COURIER . SIR , —Replying to Mr . Hooper ' s letter in your issue to-day , I think as the recognised Masonic reporter was permitted to send a report of the Provincial Lodges to the three Liverpool dailies

and those reports being inserted , this alone is sufficient to justify me in considering the subject of sufficient public interest and to comment on the report . The press does not exist foi one side alone , and I have every confidence in its impartiality . Hence my letter appeared . If Mr . Hooper has the same opinion of the papers he refers to , well and good .

The object in publishing the proceedings was probably to recruit the ranks of Freemasonry , therefore the public are entitled to know that abuses such as I referred to in my former letter exist . That such abuses prevail through the action of a clique who have obtained

to themselves a hold upon matters which is detrimental to the best interests of Freemasonry , and which clique boasts that no Mason will ever become a member of the Provincial Lodge without its approval—as . long as Freemasons allow such a state ot things to exist , a remedy is very difficult .

Yours , & c , A FREEMASON Liverpool , 18 th June 1901 .

Ad01102

EXPERIENCED Reviewer is open to supply a column of criticisms weekl y , to Provincial or London newspaper . Will submit specimen notices . T ., care of FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE , New Barnct

Masonic Outing.

MASONIC OUTING .

THE Penryn annual outing took pace on Thursday , nth inst ., wives and daughters of the Brethren being invited . Leaving by the early morning train , a saloon carriage being provided , the journey was made to Wadebridge , and thence in a Jersey car through the lovely Camelford valley and St . Teath , with its noted Cross , to Delabole ,

lunch being partaken of en route . The slate quarries were visited , and afterwards the journey was resumed to Tintagel , a good view of Trebarwith Sands and the fine cliff scenery being obtained near Trewarmett . King Arthur's Castle was thoroughly explored , and a rest enjoyed on the summit . Starting from the Wharmcliff Hotel ,

Bossinnev and' Trevalga were passed , and old-world Boscastle was reached in time for high tea at the Wellington Hotel . After tea the quaint harbour was visited , and the party returned by way of Camelford , the Devil ' s Jump , and Bodmin , to Bodmin Road station , where the saloon carriage was attached to the 9 . 12 down train .

On arriving at Penryn station Bro . R . A . Newcombe proposed a hearty vote of thanks to Bro . J . M . Thomas , for the very capital manner in which all the arrangements had been carried out , and the vote was carried with three cheers . The outing was thoroughly appreciated by all the party .

Holiday Arrangements.

HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS .

Great Western Railway . THIS Company issue ordinary as well as excursion tickets at their principal City and West-end Offices , and this arrangement is probably never so much appreciated as during the week preceding

the Bank Holiday , when large numbers of people avail themselves of the opportunity thus afforded for obtaining tickets at their own time and without the crowding and worry inseparable from a large railway station at holiday seasons . The fares charged are the same as at Paddington . Tickets can also be obtained at Clapham Junction , Kensington ( Addison Road ) , Uxbridge Road , Hammersmith and other stations .

The booking offices at Paddington station will be open for the issue of tickets all day on Wednesday , Thursday , Friday , and Saturday , 31 st July , 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd August , and the tickets issued ( except those for specified excursion trains ) will be available for use on any of those days .

To meet the expected additional traffic , the Company will run several ordinary trains in duplicate during the week preceding the Bank Holiday , but on the Bank Holiday , several of the up and down expresses will not run , and there will be other minor alterations in the services .

Fast excursion trains leave Paddington every Monday , Wednesday and Friday , to Weston-super-M ! are ; every Monday ( except 5 th August' and every Friday , by the new route via Patney and Westbury , to Frome , Yeovil , Dorchester , Weymouth , & c . ; every Monday and Friday , to Swindon , Bath , Bristol , Gloucester , Cheltenham , Hereford , & c . ; Tuesday nights , 30 th July and 6 th August , and

every Wednesday afterwards , to Rhyl , Llandudno , Bettws-y-coed , & c . ; every Wednesday for Shrewsbury , Aberystwyth , Dolgelly , Barmouth , & c . ; Taunton , Tiverton , & c . ; every Wednesday noon and Thursday , to Minehead ( for Lynton and Lynmouth ) , & c . ; every Wednesday night , to Newport , Cardiff , Swansea , Tenby , New Milford , and other places in South Wales ; every Thursday , to Minehead , Lynton , Lynmouth , & c . ; every Thursday morning ,

Thursday night , and Friday night , to Barnstaple , Ilfracombe , Exeter , Dawlish , Teignmouth , Torquay , Plymouth , & c . ; every Thursday morning and Friday night , to Falmouth , Penzance , and other resorts in the West of England ; every Thursday midnight , to Chester , Birkenhead , and Liverpool ; every Friday , to Newbury , Marlborough , Devizes , Trowbridge , ike ; every Friday night , to the ScilJy Islands ; and every Friday night and Saturday , to Douglas ( Isle of Man ) .

Every Monday ( except 5 th August ) , day excursions are run to Newbury , Winchester , Southampton , and Cowes , and on Mondays , 29 th July , 12 th , 26 th August , 9 th and 23 rd September , clay trips to Southampton , including Steamboat trip round the Isle of Wight . Cheap half-day excursions are also run every Tuesday , to Abingdon , Oxford , Blenheim and Woodstock , & c . ; and every Thursday , to Stratford-on-Avon , Banbury , and Leamington .

Excursion tickets , at a return fare of 22 / -, are issued to Guernsey and Jersey by trains leaving Paddington at 9 . 35 a . m . every Saturday morning , and Waterloo at 9 . 40 p . m . every Saturday night during the season . The service to and from the Islands being now worked jointly by the Great Western and London and

South Western Railway Companies , passengers travelling on the forward journey via Paddington and Weymouth may , if they so desire , return via Southampton and Waterloo , and those proceeding via Waterloo and Southampton may return via Weymouth and Paddington .

On Wednesday , 31 st July , an excursion will run to Cheltenham , Worcester , Malvern , Hereford , & c . ; on Thursday , 1 st August , to Cork , Killarney , Belfast , Giants' Causeway , & c . ; on Friday , 2 nd August , to Stratford-on-Avon , Crewe , Manchester , Waterford , Killarney , & c . ; and at midnight to Merthyr , Cardiff , Swansea , Carmarthen , Tenby , New Milford , Oxford , Birmingham ,

Wolverhampton , Chester , Birkenhead , Liverpool , & c ; on Saturday night , 3 rd August ! , to Swindon , Bath , Bristol , & c . ; on Sunday , 4 th August , to Swindon , Gloucester , Cheltenham , & c . ; and at night to Weston-super-Mare , Exeter , Dawlish , Teignmouth , Torquay , Plymouth , & c . ; Oxford , Leamington , Birmingham , Wolverhampton , iSx , On the Bank Holiday excursions will run to Reading , Goring .